Book dossier

A Romanian Rhapsody - The Life of Conductor Sergiu Comissiona

by Cecilia Burcescu

Compellingly written by Cecilia Burcescu, Maestro Sergiu Comissiona’s authorized biography, A Romanian Rhapsody, reveals facts about his happy childhood in a Jewish petit bourgeois family in Bucharest (then “the little Paris of Eastern Europe”), his adolescence under the Nazi specter, and his youth in repressive communist times behind the Iron Curtain. His life changes as he leaves behind the narrow horizons of communist Romania for the broad ones of the Western world, when he immigrates to Israel, later settling in England, then Sweden and, finally, the United States. The book follows chronologically and analytically his career path, from an ensemble violinist to an internationally-renowned conductor, based on his own accounts, extended research, and revealing testimonials. The Maestro’s rationale for having his biography written was, in his own words, “for the Westerners to understand my deep attachment to my Romanian roots, for the Romanians to know about my struggle for artistic affirmation in the Western world, and mostly for young conductors to realize that through passion, patience and persistence – and by not committing suicide after the first failure – the dedicated commitment to the profession bears fruit.” Letters of John Keats A Ray of Hope Friends I've Never Met The Richness of Night The Best Poems and Poets of 2003 Who's Who in Poetry Maestro Sergiu Comissiona's Biography Click for quick sampling